Tampa, FL asked in Contracts and Employment Law for Florida

Q: I am a 1099 contractor a company I subcontracted for is now trying to sue me.

A company I worked with has filed a lawsuit against me saying I owe them 50,000 dollars, as well as asking for alot of other information. I don’t have any money how do I get help with this?

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1 Lawyer Answer
Charles M.  Baron
Charles M. Baron
Answered
  • Hollywood, FL
  • Licensed in Florida

A: Are you an individual contractor, or you have a corporate or LLC entity? If you have an entity that is officially the contractor, you are required to have an attorney represent the entity in any court above small claims court, and if you don't have an attorney, the plaintiff will quickly obtain a money judgment against your entity. If you are an individual contractor, you have the right to defend yourself in court without an attorney. If the latter is the situation, and you have very limited financial means, you have the option of consulting an attorney on the initial steps you should be taking to protect yourself. After those initial steps, though, it will be tough for you to defend yourself without counsel. Whether you are individual or entity, you may want to consult a bankruptcy attorney to look at the option of filing for bankruptcy to get out of the alleged debt, or to start out by threatening to file for bankruptcy to use as leverage in an attempt to reach an amicable resolution.

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